A “gamechanger” immunotherapy drug that “melts away” tumours dramatically increases the chances of curing bowel cancer and may even replace the need for surgery, doctors have said. The drug ‘Pembrolizumab’ targets and blocks a specific protein on the surface of immune cells that then seek out and destroy cancer cells. Giving the drug before surgery instead of chemotherapy led to a huge increase in patients being declared cancer-free, a clinical trial found. The results were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the world’s largest cancer conference. What do you think LiveTribers? How may immunotherapy replace the need for surgery in the future?
Posted by on 12 Jun 2024
